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The Impact of Reading Reviews: Separating the Real from the Fake

How Do You Tell the Real Apartment Reviews from the Useless Apartment Reviews?

Apartment reviews are funny things. Just like everything else on the Internet, you have to take them with a grain of salt. Some apartment reviews are clearly written by an unbiased Good Samaritan to help others find an apartment. Other apartment reviews are obviously the ravings of a dissatisfied tenant or possibly even a competing apartment complex.

You’ve probably seen apartment reviews like these from time to time. But how do you form a valid opinion to find an apartment from the apartment reviews you’ve seen? Can you pull valid information from apartment reviews that are angry and biased? Can there be misinformation and propaganda in helpful apartment reviews?

Here are some apartment review tips we’ve collected that will help you find a suitable apartment more quickly:

Look for a Common Thread in Apartment Reviews

If one apartment review talks about the sparkling cleanliness of the complex’s pool, that’s a good thing, but doesn’t carry too much weight. If five reviews, written in different styles, praise the pool’s condition and the apartment maintenance, you’re probably looking at some factual information.

Throw Out the Best and Worst Apartment Reviews

There are always people who will love or hate an apartment complex, and apartment reviews reflect that. Since you’re working to find an apartment that is best for you, not for the extreme optimists and extreme pessimists, try to ignore the most extreme comments that you see.

Fake apartment reviews will often appeal to your emotions by mentioning rodents, excessive noise, bad attitudes and slow service – or on the positive side, flowery friendly encounters with residents or an apartment manager who may or may not exist. Control your reactions to these apartment reviews. They may be true; they may be false. If you scare at the first mention of an apartment’s noise problem in a review, you may be walking away from a great place.

The fact is, if you spot an apartment review that lays it on thick, complaining of rodents, fleas, noise and bad service, you are probably reading a fake apartment review. Read the other reviews for the apartment complex and see if they confirm or contradict the original review writer.

Inspect the Writer’s Facts and Style

If someone is trying to spread bad publicity about a competitor through fake apartment reviews, he or she probably has a lot to do. Not only are there many competing apartment complexes in every neighborhood, but there are at least three major apartment review websites. That means the fake review writer has little time to do a lot of writing. As a result, fake apartment reviews are often short, sloppy and light on details.

Real apartment reviews sound like a letter from someone you know. They often cite facts, names, dates, locations and most importantly, details about the specific apartment complex. A fake apartment reviewer probably doesn’t know the apartment complex as well as a true resident.

Keep an Eye Out for Apartment Review Dates and Authors

It’s common sense, but if you see a lot of strong apartment reviews – whether negative or positive – posted during a short span of time, that should raise your eyebrows. Also look for strong reviews that appear on different apartment rating websites by the same user or people with similar usernames.

Hopefully these tips will make it a little easier for you to find an apartment that fits your needs! Good luck searching!